MainStreet Theatre Receives Three 2011-12 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award Nominations

The MainStreet Theatre Company has announced that it has received three LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award Nominations for its work during the 2011/2012 Season, including a "Best Production" nomination for their May production of A Wrinkle in Time.

Founded in 1989, the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles, created to recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles area. Each year, 400 productions compete in 35 Ovation Categories, and are evaluated by a pool of 250 vetted Ovation Voters, who are all currently Working Theatre professionals. The Awards are presented at the end of each year in a black-tie ceremony. This year's ceremony will be held on November 12th at the historic Los Angeles Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.

"This is a huge honor" says MainStreet Theatre Company producer Mireya (Murry) Hepner. "Because the work we do is primarily for families, it is almost unheard of to be nominated in this category. MainStreet Theatre Company strives for excellence with every show we do, and we hope that the productions are sophisticated enough to appeal to a wide audience. We are thrilled to be in the same category as Center Theatre Group, (for Waiting for Godot and The Convert), The Geffen Playhouse (Good People) and the Rubicon Theatre Company (The Mystery of Irma Vep). This nomination really speaks to the beautiful artistry of our creative team and cast for this show, and I'm happy that the voters who came to see it thought their work deserved recognition! I hope that getting the nominations means that more voters and Members of The public will come out to Rancho Cucamonga to experience our shows for themselves."

A Wrinkle in Time was directed by Robert Castro, with Scenic Design by Victoria Petrovich, Lighting Design by Brian Gale, Costume Design by Raquel Barreto, and Sound Design for John Zalewski. In addition to the production's nomination, Mr. Zalewski was singled out as a nominee for "Sound Design: Large Theatre" for his inspired sound design for A Wrinkle in Time.

MainStreet Theatre Company's third nomination was for "Scenic Design: Large Theatre" for Tom Buderwitz' baseball themed set for the time?traveling Honus and Me, directed by Abigail Deser.

In addition to the nominations they received for MainStreet shows, John Zalewski and Tom Buderwitz were both nominated for multiple shows in other theatres this season. In fact, many of the Ovation nominated designers also worked on MainStreet shows last season, including Jaymi Lee Smith, Angela Calin and Brian Gale.

The MainStreet Theatre Company is the resident professional Theatre Company at the City of Rancho Cucamonga's Lewis Family Playhouse. It produces three high quality shows a year, primarily based on classic and contemporary children's literature. Each three week run includes weekday morning performances for bussed?in school groups as well as weekend matinees for families. Many children experience their first professional live performance by coming to a MainStreet Theatre Company show with their school, and the theatre prides itself on giving them an experience that will stay with them their entire lives. MainStreet Theatre Company believes that it is helping to nurture the audiences – and maybe the artists – of the future.

MainStreet Theatre Company begins its 7th season on October 6th with Pinkalicious The Musical, based on the books by Victoria Kahn and Elizabeth Kahn, with music by John Gregor, and directed by Sha Newman. The other two shows in MainStreet Theatre Company's 12/13 season are Aladdin's Luck, by Janet Stanford, directed by Robert Castro (January 2012), and The Phantom Tollbooth, with book by Norton Juster, Music by Arnold Black, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, directed by Jessica Kubzansky (April 2012).

An intimate, 536?seat venue, the Lewis Family Playhouse is the crown jewel of the three?acre, 89,000? square foot Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. The complex is conveniently located off the I?15 at Foothill Boulevard, as a major anchor of Victoria Gardens. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, with free parking available.

For More Information – For additional information or to purchase tickets on?line, visit www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com or call the Lewis Family Playhouse Box Office at (909) 477?2752 or (877) 858?8422.

"Like" us on Facebook for more up to the minute details about the productions and the additional special events at www.facebook.com/MainStreetTheatreCompany.

For a full list of all of the Ovation Awards nominations, visit LAStageAlliance.com.

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